Husband Who Slapped Wife While She Was Carrying Their Infant Son & Fractured Her Arm Jailed 5 Mths

By
Zhi Hao
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Domestic violence does not just affect the physical and mental well-being of affiliated family members.

It could also break up an entire family, leaving once-happy individuals to ponder about what could have been.

Husband Who Slapped Wife While She Was Carrying Their Infant Son & Fractured Her Arm Jailed 5 Mths

According to TODAYonline, a 31-year-old man has been sentenced to five months’ imprisonment for slapping his wife and fracturing her arm.

The man was previously found guilty on 15 December 2020 for two criminal charges: committing a rash, dangerous act, and voluntarily harming his wife.

Allegations

in court, the victim testified that it all began with preparations for her brother’s housewarming function on 15 December 2018.

According to the victim, she had asked the accused for help with washing their son’s milk bottle.

He yelled that he was getting ready, but he was allegedly doing so “very slowly”.

She tried asking him again, and he hurled profanities at her this time around.

Conscious that her son was awake, she implored for the accused to cease the use of vulgarities.

Instead of complying, he proceeded to slap her three times on the face, while she was allegedly carrying their son.

Apparently, the man ended up hitting the then five-month-child as well, which caused the newborn to begin crying.

Twisted

The victim then pushed the man away and retreated to the living room couch, where she tried to console the boy.

Still incensed, the accused demanded that she hand the infant to him.

She told him to calm down first.

Evidently infuriated, the man took the victim’s right wrist and twisted it until a loud cracking sound resonated.

Text messages between them after the incident were shown in court, suggesting that the victim believed her husband had broken her arm so that she would have had to depend on him to care for their son.

However, the accused then claimed that it was not on purpose. He claimed that his wife had threatened to commit suicide and grabbed a knife, and in trying to disarm her, he had twisted her arm.

While waiting for the arrival of the paramedics, the accused allegedly threatened to harm the boy if a police report was made.

The victim’s decision ultimately changed, however, after an argument with the accused over the phone.

Apparently, the accused revealed that he had snapped her arm on purpose—and “on his parents’ instructions”.

Fearful for her life, the victim filed a police report on 22 January 2019.

Divorce proceedings also commenced.

As a result of the fracture, the victim had to undergo surgery, and was subsequently warded for 12 days.

Even after five months, she was only able to work on the computer, and was unable to lift heavier loads.

Sentencing

In sentencing, the judge took into account the victim’s injury and their son’s plight.

“His son was only five months old and vulnerable… Parents ought not to give into their anger and in this case, his son was visibly upset and crying after he slapped (the victim). He (the son) became the second victim, so to speak,” District Judge Mesenas said.

However, she did acknowledge that he had paid a part of the victim’s medical bills.

She also noted that he was a first-time offender.

The accused was eventually sentenced to five months in prison.

For performing a rash act, he could have faced a jail term of up to six months, a fine of up to S$2,500, or both.

For inflicting harm, he could have faced a prison term of up to two years, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.

According to the report, his lawyer, Amarjit Singh Sidhu, has since stated the accused’s intention to appeal against the conviction and sentence.

Domestic Violence

The aforementioned case may have occurred in 2018, but it appears that the pandemic has only added to domestic violence here in Singapore.

According to a previous police statement, there was a 22% increase in the number of family violence-related offences reported since the start of the circuit breaker.

In fact, the police received 476 reports for cases such as hurt, criminal force and assault, and criminal intimidation from 7 April to 6 May 2020, up from the monthly average of 389 cases before the Circuit Breaker.

According to The Atlantic, financial strain has been linked to increases in the frequency and severity of domestic abuse.

And a 1% increase in the unemployment rate leads to a 25% increase in child neglect and a 12% increase in physical abuse, one study found.

Thankfully, it appears that our society may soon return to normal, what with an intense rollout of vaccines and a plan for more workers to return to their workplaces.

Even so, however, one can’t deny the occurrence of domestic violence.

If you are facing family violence, the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) says there are several courses of action you can take, depending on the nature of the emergency and the level of violence:

  • Call for help
  • Get medical attention
  • Report the matter to the Police
  • Seek counselling
  • Seek shelter in a crisis shelter
  • Seek legal protection

And here are some hotlines you can call:

  • ComCare Call: 1800-222-0000
  • SOS (24 hours daily): 1800-221-4444
  • MSF Child Protective Service: 1800-777-0000
  • Tinkle Friend Helpline (for Child Abuse): 1800-274-4788
  • Care Corner Project StART: 6476 1482
  • PAVE: 6555 0390
  • TRANS SAFE CENTRE: 6449 9088

Feature Image: VGstockstudio / Shutterstock.com

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Zhi Hao
Email: [email protected]